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February 7, 2007

Baptists Bombard Troops With Propaganda

As an American soldier struggling to stay alive in Iraq, I don't suppose Christian propaganda is likely to be very high on the list of supplies you would like to have. Still, it is nice that the Southern Baptists are happy to send Christian reading materials to American troops in Iraq.The Southern Baptists are "hoping to get clean, positive images in front of the servicemen." I wonder what motivates this effort. Is this supposed to help the soldiers? Maybe it will make them more effective on the battlefield, relieve their stress, save their souls, etc.

As hard as it is for me to believe that some soldiers would prefer Christian propaganda to skin mags, I'll go along with the assumption that there actually are some. I wonder if they are the only ones receiving the Baptist propaganda. Somehow, I doubt it.

I wonder if it is possible that the motivation behind these Baptist boxes might have little to do with the soldiers at all. Perhaps this is about winning converts, strengthening one's political influence, or some other more sinister goal. If only there were a clear statement about the intent behind this effort so we wouldn't have to guess!

"We feel like for them to have something on a more Christian basis would be better for them and their families as well. It shows that somebody cares. It's also giving them a chance to feed their faith."

Okay, so Christian propaganda is better for them than Maxim magazine or one of its many competitors. Why? Because it lets them "feed their faith." It is almost as if faith might starve without being fed. Yes, I suppose that maintaining beliefs for which there is no evidence and for which overwhelming contradictory evidence exists must get tiring after awhile. It is nice that these Southern Baptists are willing to provide a sort of indoctrination booster.

Regardless of what you think about America's right to be in Iraq, I think we can all understand that these soldiers are engaged in the business of killing other human beings. And we are going to worry about whether they have pictures of women in bikinis vs. bible verses?